Presently, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) “microchips” are used for identifying animals, including production and domestic animals and wildlife, for various reasons. Such RFID microchips are used in such varied circumstances as recording production animal movements and handling, lost domestic animal identification, and wildlife “banding” for research purposes. The RFID microchips sometimes suffer from various disadvantages, including availability, power and portability limitations of specifically designed RFID readers, and limited information available through the RFID microchip. Moreover, competing microchip manufacturers may maintain separate databases, and microchips of those manufacturers may use different types of RFID readers that may only read the microchip of that manufacturer.
Further, RFID microchips in animal tags are often not compatible with portable computing devices, such as mobile telephones. That is, most mobile telephones are not equipped with either hardware or software or both that would allow for communications between a mobile telephone and an RFID microchip in an animal tag.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for animal tags that may support communications with portable computing devices, such as a mobile telephone.
Citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention.